Lubricator



June 3, 1930. v

J. R. WARNER v `1,761,097

LUBRI CAT OR Filed March 9, 1927 '2 sheets-sheet 1 J. R. WARNER 1,761,097

l LUBRIGATOR Filed March 9. 192'? z sheetssheet i2 M fw June 3, 1930,

Patented June 3, 1930 UNITED STATES @PATENT OFFIOE JOSEPH R. WARNER, oF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, AssIeNoR Tos. i?. BoWsEjR a ,COM- s PANY, INC., or FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION 'or INDIANA LUBRICATOR Application led March 9,

This invention relates to a device for supplying lubricating material to various forms of mechanism requiring lubrication, and has for one of itsA objects the provision of a lubri- V cating pump which shall be simple and economical to manufacture, eiiicient in operation, and of improved construction. Y 1 A further object is to provide an air release for the pressure cylinder of the pump which .10 Will prevent pumping air to the discharge V claims.

Inthe drawingsf Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through an oil tank having a number of pumping units applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a section through one of the pumping units at right angles to Fig.v 1; and Fig. 3 is asection substantiallyon line 3,-3 of Fig. 2. The numeral 10 designates a suitable tan for lubricating material having a screen intake 11 through which the tank is filled. A shaft 12 extends longitudinally of the tank 10 and is journaled in a bearing member 13 at one end of the tank. The opposite end of the shaft is 'supported on a stud shaft 14 journaled in a bearing member 1,5 mounted inthe end of the tank opposite the member 13. The shaft 12 is provided with a ratchet `wheel 16 having teeth 17 on the inner face thereof which are engaged' by pawls 18 car-v ried by a disc 19 secured to the stud shaft 14. The stud shaft 14 is oscillated by clever 2O which may be connected to any suitable drive. The connection is preferably Vwith thel machine to which lubricant is supplied so that the speed of oscillation may be proportional to the speed'of the machine to which lubricant is furnished. Holding dogs 21 are pivoted on the bearing support 15 to prevent Vreverse rotationof. the ratchet Wheel 1927. Serial No. 173,859.

16. The ratchet mechanism operates in the lubricating material `within the tank 10 kso that it is thoroughly lubricated at all times. A series of lubricating units or pumps 22 extendv through openings in the top of the tanklO and are operated vby cams 23 on the shaft 12. The construction and operation of the units 22 will be best understood from Fig. 2 of the drawings.

Each unit comprisesa body 24 whichis secured to the top of the tank by bolts which extend through openings 25 in the body 24 and the top of the tank 10. A cup or recess 26 isformed inthe upper portion of the body 24 and is provided with a cover plate 27V resting on the rim of the recess. The cover plate 27 is'held in place by a cap 28 and a shouldered length of tubing. 29, both threaded into the body 24, as shown in Fig. 2. The lower end of the tube 29 communicates with ay recess 30 in the body 24 while the upper end extends 'through a cap V31 which covers a glass cylinder 32v which is Y set over an opening 33 in the cover plate 27 above `the cup 26. rIhe'cap 31 is provided with a circumferentialrecess 34surrounding the tube 29 and a perforation 35 through the wall of the tube provides 'communication between the inside of the tube andthe re1 rcess 34. A drain passage 36 connectsthe recess 34 with adrip spout 37 at the upperA lend of the'glass cylinder 132. .A cap 38 is threaded on the upper end of the tube 29 and holds thecover cap 31 in place. The body member 24 is perforated to receive a tube 39, the upper end of the tube/being Y body 24. The pipe 39 is provided with a slot' 41 .which communicates through an opening 42 in thefpassage 30 and theinterior of the tube 29.v A threaded pin 43 extends into the slot 41 and prevents vrotation of the-:tube 39. The body 24 isprovided with a cylindrical opening 44 arranged parallel with the opening for the tube 39. A piston 45 is slidably mounted in the cylinder 44.

A reciprocating head 46 is slidably mounted onthe lower end of the tube 39 and is provided with a recess 47 for receiving an extension 48 on the lower end of the piston 45. The extension 48 is provided with a peripheral groove 49 which registers with 'a pin 50 for retaining the eX- tension 48 within the recess 47. The eX- tension 48 fits loosely within the recess 47 to prevent binding of the piston 45 in its cylinder in case the movement of the head 46 is not exactly in alinement with the axis of the cylinder 44. The head 46v engages one of th'e cams-23 Von the shaft l2 and is held in Acontact with the face of the cam by springs 5l and 52. It will be apparent that the head 46 will be lifted bythe cam 23 at each revolution of the shaft 12 and will be returned by the force of the springs 5l and 52. If in any case a positive action in both directions is required the head 46 may be provided with a second contact face at the opposite side of the cam 23 from that shown in the drawings so that the head will be positively moved in both directions by the cam 23. This construction may be found desirable for some installations. The lower end of the perforation in the head 46 in which the tube 39 is located is closed by a plug 53 and a port 54 is provided at one side of the opening for the tube v39. 55 -is a plug for closing an opening at the opposite side of the tube 39 formed in boring the port 54. A valve 56 is disposed. within the ltube 39 near the lower end thereof and is held by a spring 57 against a stop `pin 58. A plug 60 forms an abutment for the opposite end of the spring 57. The tube 39 is slotted at 6l to provide passage for lubricating material past 'the plug 60. lVhen the head 46 is moved downwardly the port 54 will clear the lower 'end of the tube 39 and since the downward movement of the head will tend to form a vacuum in the lower end of the tube 39,

Vthe head 46 starts its upward movement the port 54 will be closed by the lower end of the tube 39 and the lubricant in the lower 'end of the tube will be thus entrapped. Upward movement `of thehead 46 will force the entrapped lubricant to open the valve '.56 and the lubricant will be caused to iow through the slot 61 past the plug 60 and into the upper portion of the tube 39. Each stroke of the head 46 will introduce a. new l'charge of oil into the tube 39 so that the oil Awill be pumped to the top of the tube -and will pass through the opening 42 into the passage 30 and through the pipe 29 and opening into the drain spout 36, from which it will drop through the sight tube 32 into the cup 26. This provides a sight feed for the lubricating device in which the oil falls freely through the sight feed at atmospheric pressure. The cover 3l for the sight feed 32 may be perforated to insure atmospheric pressure within the sight feed and cup 26.

The oil drains from the cup 26 through ports 62 to the cylinder 44. The lower ends of these ports will be closed when the head 46 is in its upperposition, as shown in Fig. 2, but when the head moves downwardly the piston willy uncover the ports 62 and draw the lubricant from the ports into the cylinder above the end of the piston 45. The movement of the lubricant is effected both by gravity and by the reduced pressure produced by the downward movement of the piston 45 in the cylinder 44. A port 63 connects the upper end of the cylinder 44 with a chamber 64 closed by a cap A hollow valve 66 is slidably mounted in an opening in the head 24 communicating with the chamber 64 and is held downwardly by a spring 67 contained in a fitting to which a discharge tube 69 is connected. The tube 69 leads to the mechanism to be lubricated. The side of the valve 66 is provided with a perforation 70 which is carried upwardly to discharge lubricant into the fitting 67 when the pressure in the chamber 64 becomes sufficient to compress the spring 67.

An arrangement is provided for connecting the upper endV of the cylinder 44 to vatmosphere at the limit Aof the discharge stroke of the piston 45. The upper end of the piston 45 is provided with a projection 7l through which a perforation 72 extends. The lower end of the perforation 72 communicates through a lateral opening 73 with a peripheral groove 74 in the piston 45. A port 75 opens into the cup 26 above the Vliquid level in the cup and communicates with the interior of the cylinder 44 through a lateral passage 76. At the upper end of I the movement of the piston 45 the peripheral groove'74 registers with the passage 76 which thus connects the upper end of the cylinder 44 to atmosphere. This arrangement relieves any pressure in the air pocket at the'top of the cylinder 44 at the end of the compression stroke, thus insuring the formation of a partial vacuum during the intake stroke of the piston. This, of course,

lfacilitates the entrance of the lubricating material from the cup 26 when the port 62 is uncovered. If the 1 increased pressure werenot relieved at the end of the discharge stroke of the piston, it is possible that ,there would still be more'than yatmospheric pressure when the piston reaches the end of its intake stroke. This would cause the escape of air or oil through the port 62 and interfere with the entrance of oil from the cup 26. The arrangement has the further decided advantage of preventing building up suiiicientair pressure in the cylinder 44 to cause airto bepumped into thev line 69. As a matter of practice it is desirable for the discharge cylinder 44 to have a greater capacity than the supply pump which supplies the lubricantl to thecup 26. It is not practicalV to make the twoV operate exactly the same and if lubricant were supplied to the cup 26 faster than it is discharged therefromV the cup, of course, would be caused to runV over.

`For this reason the capacity ofthe discharge pumpv is made greater than that of the supply pump so that there is no danger of overflowing Athe cup 26. Fi'om'this it follows that there will not be suilicient oilv in the cup 26 to supply the cylinder 44 and some air will be introduced `when the port .62 is uncovered. If no means were pro` videdfor removing this lair it would be pumped into the lubricating line and thus interfere with the operation of the lubri` cating system.

The amount of oil vpumped is controlled by raising and lowering the pipe 39 so as to control the amount of travel past port 54 of piston 39. These parts mayv beadjusted to supply only a fraction of the capacity ofthe discharge pump so that, except for the air release, considerable quantities of air might 'be pumped into the lubricatinoline.

. The space at the end of the cylinder 44 is so proportioned to the stroke of piston and vthe strength of the spring `69,that when the chamber 64 is filled with oil the compression *produced* within the cylinder'is not suficient to force any of the air over into the chamber 64 and through the valve 66. Vhen the puinpis first put into operation before the chamber 64 has been filled with oil, the lintroduction of-oil under pressure will force the initial charge of air in the chamber 64 out through the pipe 69, but after this initial charge of air has. once been removed, no .further air lwill be discharged into the lubricating system.

I claim l. Pumping apparatus having a pumping chamber therein, means for alternately eX- -panding and contracting said chamberto eect intake vand, `discharge oi fluid to be pumped, and means orconnectingfsaid chamber tothe atmosphere after said cha-mber hasbeen contractedand before it begins 'cto expand. y

r2. Pumping apparatus comprising a body member having a pumpingchainber therein providedwith intake and discharge ports,

means for alternately expanding and con- ,tracting ,said chamber aiilffor opening said nintake port `when said chamber isexpanded and closing said intake port during .con-

beginning of the expansion thereof to relieve, excess pressure therein.

4j Pumping apparatus comprising a body member having a pumping chamber therein Aprovided with air space in the upper portion thereoil and provided'with an intake port adjacent the lower portion thereof, means for yexpanding and contracting said pumping chamber and foropening said intake port when said chamber has been eX- panded to admit fluid into said chamber toL be pumped,iand means for connecting said air space to atmosphere at the beginning of theeXpa-nsion of said chamber to insure an initial pressure equal to that of theatmosphere at the beginning ot' the expansion of said chamber.

5. Pumping apparatus comprising a cylinder having a piston arranged to reciprocate therein, ay receiving chamber below the upper end of said cylinder and connected thereto by a passageway, means for closing the'upperl end of said cylinder and providing an. air pocket at the. upper end of said cylinder. above said receiving chamberso that the pumped liquid will flow downward- .ly from the kupper end portion loi said cylinder through said passageway into said receiving chamber, a check-valve for controlling `iiow of liquid from said receiving chamber-'to the discharge port, means for dilrecting the liquid into said cylinder When the piston is at the lower end of its stroke, and means for relieving the pressure in said air pocket by connecting the same vto the atmosphere when said piston is at the upper end of its stroke.

6. A lubricator comprising a container i'or a lubricant, pumping apparatus for supply- 'ing lubricant to said container, additional pumping apparatus for withdrawing lubricant fromY saidv container and discharging y,the'lubricant to apparatus to be'lubricated,

said additional. pumping apparatus having a greater capacity'vthan thc apparatus for supplying lubricant to said container, and means for periodically connecting the interior of said additionaly pumpingapparatus v directly to atmosphere to prevent discharge of airwith the lubricant discharged from said additional pumping apparatus.

iio

Vcant,said'containcr 'beingY open to atmospheric pressure, a pump for discharging lubri ant from said-container to apparatus to be lubricated, said pump comprising acylinder having a reciprocating piston therein, and means for connecting the interior of said cylinder to atmosphere at the close of each discharge stroke of said piston.

9. A lubricator comprising a body member having a container for lubricant therein, said container being open to atmosphere,

a sight feed, means for supplying lubricant to said container through said sight feed, a reciprocating pump for discharging lubricant from said container to apparatus to be lubricated, said reciprocating pump comprising a cylinder having a piston and an intake port communicating With said container and a discharge port, means for reciprocating said piston to effect intake and discharge of lubricant to and from said cylinder, and means for connecting the interior of said cylinder With atmosphere at the close of a discharge stroke of said piston.

10. A lubricator comprising a pump having a cylinder and a piston arranged to reciprocate therein, said pump having intake and discharge ports, and a supplemental port for connecting the interior of said cylinder with atmosphere at the close of a discharge movement of said piston.

ll. A lubricator comprising a pump having an upright cylinder and a piston arranged to reciprocate in said cylinder, said pump having an intake and a discharge port, and a supplemental port opening through the upper end of said piston for connecting said cylinder with atmosphere at the close of a discharge stroke of said piston.

l2. A lubricating pump comprising a cylinder and a piston arranged to reciprocate in said cylinder, said cylinder having an air pocket at one end thereof, and an extension on the end of said piston arranged to enter said air pocket at the close of a discharge stroke of said pump, said piston having a port therein opening through said extension and arranged to register with a port in said cylinder communicating with atmosphere when said piston reaches theend of its discharge stroke to bring said extension into said air pocket.

13. A lubricator comprising a body mem- .operated -by said head for pumping lubricant through said tube into said recess, said body member having a cylindrical opening therein, and a port connecting said recess With said opening, and a piston arranged to reciprocate in said opening said piston having movable connection with said head tor operate said piston from said head and compensate for slight variations in the position of said piston relative to said head.

15. A lubricator comprising a receptacle for a lubricant, a body member mounted on said receptacle, a tube connected with said body member and extending'into said receptacle, said body member having a recess therein, a head slidably mounted on said tube, means Afor reciprocating said head on said tube,

valve mechanism for controlling the passage of lubricant through said tube, a sight feed interposed between said tube and' recess to disclose the flow of the lubricant from said tube into said recess, said body member having a cylindrical opening therein, a piston arranged to reciprocate in said opening, said opening being connected with said recess by an intake port, said body member having a discharge port communicating with said cylindrical opening, said piston having a Yport therein opening at the upper end thereof and arranged to register With a port in said body member communicating with atmosphere when said piston is in its uppermost position, and a spring-held valve for closing said discharge port.

1G. Lubricating apparatus comprising pumping mechanism having a predetermined capacity, a receptacle for receiving lubricant from said pumping mechanism, a

sight-feed between said pumping mechanism and said receptacle and connected to the atmosphere, additional pumping mechanism of larger capacity than said first-named pumping mechanism, an additional receptacle Vfor receiving the lubricant from said additional pumping mechanism, an automatic check-valve for controlling the flow of lubricant fromksaid additional receptacle, means comprising an intake port for directing lubricant from said first-named receptacle to .said additional pumping mechanism, and means for venting said additional pumping mechanism toV said firstnamed receptacle and thence to the atmosphere when said additional pumping mechanism is about to effect an intake operation.

17. In a lubricator,a receptacle, a pumping unit mounted on the receptacle for extracting a lubricant therefrom, a pump piston, a reciprocating head for actuating said pump piston, a movable connection between said piston and said reciprocating head to compensate for variations in the alinement of the head and piston, positive means for reciprocating said head in one direction, and a spring tension device for moving the head in the opposite direction.

y 18. A lubricator comprising a lubricant receptacle and a pumping unit for extracting a lubricant therefrom, said pumping unit comprising a sight feed, means for delivering lubricant above .the sight feed and flowing the same therethrough by gravity, a cylinder having a reciprocating piston f therein, means for collecting the lubricant from the sight feed and'delivering the same to said cylinder, said sight feed being open to atmospheric pressure, and a communication between the sight feed and the top of the cylinder for opening the cylinder, to atmospheric pressure comprising an axial bore in said piston, an annular recess around said piston communicating With said axial bore, a conduit communicating With said annular recess, and a conduit extending from said first-mentioned conduit and terminating above the level of the lubricant flowing from the sight feed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification on this 4th day of March, A. D. 1927.

JOSEPH R. WARNER. 

